Cruzeiro's defensive blunders as São Paulo thrash them at Morumbi | OneFootball

Cruzeiro were thrashed again in the Brazilian Championship. At Morumbi, Raposa once again saw their defense make several mistakes and concede four goals to São Paulo. Ferreirinha (three times) and Calleri scored for São Paulo, while Christian pulled one back for Cruzeiro. The match marked Artur Jorge’s second game in charge of the Belo Horizonte side.

MATCH SUMMARY

Cruzeiro started with more possession and presence in the attacking half, but without being clinical in front of goal. The first big chance came early, when Christian found space at the edge of the box but hesitated and wasted the opportunity. Shortly after, the Minas Gerais side threatened again from a set piece through Arroyo, forcing a good save from Rafael.

In the 8th minute, the game changed. After a long ball, Artur was brought down by Villalba inside the box, and the referee awarded a penalty. Jonathan Calleri converted confidently to put São Paulo ahead.

Even after conceding, Cruzeiro kept trying to control possession but ran into technical mistakes and struggles in build-up play. São Paulo, meanwhile, were more direct and lethal again in the 15th minute: in a quick transition, Artur found Ferreira, who burst into the box and finished to double the lead.

At 2-0, São Paulo began to control the tempo better, while Cruzeiro tried to respond mainly through set pieces and crosses. The Minas Gerais team even created good chances, such as headers from Christian and shots from William, but were denied by Rafael or lacked precision in the final touch.

Cruzeiro came back from halftime with an aggressive approach and managed to pull one back in the very first minute. After a good move by Arroyo on the right, Christian appeared at the far post to tap it in, putting the team back in the game.

The start of the second half was Cruzeiro’s best spell, as they pressed and came close to an equalizer with a header from Matheus Pereira, forcing a great save from Rafael. The Minas Gerais side were gaining ground, winning set pieces, and looked more organized.

However, the game changed again in the 16th minute. From a corner, after a deflection and a scramble in the box, Ferreira pounced on the rebound and scored São Paulo’s third, cooling off Cruzeiro’s comeback. Shortly after came a controversial moment: Wendell was shown a red card for an off-the-ball shove, but after a VAR review, the decision was changed to a yellow. The incident sparked complaints from the Cruzeiro side and affected the atmosphere of the match.

With their lead restored, São Paulo began to manage the result, while Cruzeiro, even with attacking substitutions, struggled to create clear chances. The São Paulo side remained dangerous on the counterattack and nearly added to the score on a few occasions.

Deep into stoppage time came the final blow: in a quick transition, Ferreira surged forward from midfield, beat his marker, and finished precisely to complete his hat-trick and seal the 4-1 scoreline.

A bitter result and the team sunk in the relegation zone

Cruzeiro are going through a period of intense pressure, reflected both in their results and performances. With just one win in ten matches and a fragile defense, the team sits in 18th place with seven points and still runs the risk of ending the round at the bottom of the table. Their struggles away from home worsen the situation and highlight their lack of consistency at the start of the competition.

Given the entire negative scenario in the Brazilian Championship, the team will have to turn the page. Their next opponent will be Barcelona next Tuesday (7) at 9 p.m. Brasília time in Guayaquil, in their Copa Libertadores opener.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.